Soul (Matt Murdock)

Chapter 1: Seraphina

Avengers Tower
Manhattan, New York

"You are all such terrible liars," a woman exclaimed, addressing the group of superheroes in front of her. It was quite the scene. The woman, looking to be in her late 20s and standing at a rather tall height of 5'5, stood out amongst the others not only in looks but in stature. Her brilliant white hair had been pulled into a half-up-half-down bun, the strange tattoos etched in the skin of her forearm screaming into the eyes of any beholder against her smooth, dark ecru colored skin. She was stood on top of the counter in the open kitchen, staring down at her peers.

"We all know that each and every single one of you...," she trailed on, looking every Avenger dead in the eye, "will cry when I leave. Because I know I'll be crying!" All the heroes let out light laughs, embracing the woman as she hopped off the counter. "I'm going to miss you guys so much!"

"You're not leaving the team, Phina, just moving out," Clint said, rolling his eyes at the younger woman. She gave him a pouty face, wrapping him in another hug. "Okay, okay. Get your grubby little wing fingers off of me," Clint groaned, trying to push her away from him.

"Whatever! My wings aren't even touching you, asshole," she fired back, pushing him away from her with a giggle. Though not visible to most, the woman's wings were very much there. She usually kept them tucked as not to knock things and people over when she passed by. "But I really do need to be heading out. I've heard that it takes a bit to get to the new spot."

Tony Stark stepped forward, giving the woman another hug. "We really are going to miss you, Seraphina. Don't think we won't call you every night to tuck you in and read you a bedtime story," he told her. Seraphina laughed, but Tony gave her a serious look. "I not joking, kid. I will not hesitate to fly over to where you live and kiss you goodnight like the good parent I am."

"Whatever, Tony. You know I love you, but not that much."

"You know, I remember when you didn't talk. When you first got here, all that silence. Should've kept you that way, brat," Tony continued, ruffling her hair a little as he passed by her. She rolled her eyes, turning to Thor next.

"C'mere Fabio!" she exclaimed, opening her arms for him. The larger man smiled his usual goofy grin, wrapping his arms around her smaller figure. He lifted her off the ground like a ragdoll, swinging her around a few times before setting her down again. "We'll have to meet for coffee every week or something, Thor. You always know the best fabrics for everything."

"Of course! Anything for the beautiful Seraphina!" he told her, taking her small hand and placing a delicate kiss on the back of her palm. "I've got a phone now, so call me when you want to get coffee," he held up his phone to show her, both of them laughing.

"Of course, Thor. Anything for the guy with the hammer," Seraphina said, shooting unironic finger guns at him. Thor copied her action, joining Tony and Clint by the tower exit. Seraphina's shockingly blue eyes locked with the soft green eyes of Natasha. "Nat..."

The older woman stepped forward, wrapping Seraphina in a tight embrace. "You need anything, you call. Understand?" Nat whispered into her ear, pulling back a little to look her in the eye.

"Of course, Mom," Seraphina responded. Nat rolled her eyes, giving the other woman one last tight squeeze. "I think we all just need to meet up for coffee every week. Take turns paying," Seraphina responded, tears beginning to gather in her eyes as she looked to the last two Avengers.

Seraphina had been extremely close to all of them, but Bruce and Steve were different. They helped her out of her quiet, ignorant shell that she had come to them in, and, through that, they were closer to her than the others. Seraphina took a few steps forward, meeting Bruce in the middle.

"Don't forget to call me, Banner. I'm never too busy for you," she told him, more tears running down her face as she prepared for the goodbye.

"Of course. Need any help with the color green, I'm sure I can lend a hand," Bruce responded as they both pulled out of the hug. "And if you ever think of anything you need, science-related or not, I'm just a phone call are a short drive in a taxi away."

Seraphina nodded, pursing her lips into a thin line to try and hold back her trembling voice. "Don't be a stranger, okay?" Bruce nodded, grabbing hold of her hands in his and holding them there for a second. He took one, placing a kiss on the back of her palm, and then gently let it go.

He passed by her, standing with the others, allowing Seraphina's view of Steve to not be obstructed any longer. The blond man smiled, stepping forward, but not yet embracing the young woman in front of him. "I, first, want to thank you for everything. You've helped all of us more than you know and no one knows where we'd be without you," Steve started.

"Probably in a ditch somewhere," Seraphina sniffed, "or fighting each other." The pair shared a small laugh together, tears steadily streaming down Seraphina's angelic face.

"Now, for the personal part of this," Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. This goodbye was tough for him too, as he felt almost fatherly towards Seraphina. "You are truly a gift. I want you to be the person you are now when you move to this new city. Don't crawl back into your shell. Be the strong woman we all know and hold your own. Be the inspiration you are to us. Bring these new neighbors and friends you'll make the light you've brought into our lives,"

Seraphina sniffled, staring with wide eyes at the man in front of her. "Steve...," she whispered. Steve took a step, enveloping the girl in his arms and hugging her tightly to his chest. For a minute, he let her cry. He almost cried. The rest of the Avengers lowered their gazes, preparing to walk Seraphina to her cab and say goodbye for the last time.

The pair finally split, Seraphina feverishly wiping her eyes to clear them of tears. "I'm going to miss you guys so much!" she wailed, wiping the last of the droplets from her face. She grabbed her Mercer Gallery shoulder bag that contained small things she might need on the trip to her new home and followed the rest of the Avengers outside.

While Steve and Tony put her bigger bags in the back of the taxi, she gave everyone else last minute hugs. Finally, she opened the back door of the cab, sliding into the back passenger seat and closing the door behind her. "Where to?" the driver asked.

"250 West 50th Street. Hell's Kitchen," Seraphina told him. The driver shot her a surprised look through the rearview mirror, but put the car in drive and started down the road. Seraphina waved to her teammates in the window, watching them slowly get further away until she couldn't see them anymore.

The woman sighed, leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes for a second. As she got closer to Hell's Kitchen, the surge of heavy souls began to weigh on her. She'd have to get used to walking around in a city full of sin, so she'd take a couple of days for herself in the beginning, giving her time to adjust.

When the driver announced her arrival, she thanked him and slowly pulled herself out of the cab. She gazed at the gorgeous building in front of her. It was older, but most definitely high class. She walked around to the back of the cab, getting all of her bags from the trunk and setting them down on the sidewalk.

The taxi left her standing on the curb, alone in a new city. And, good God, did she have a lot of work to do.